Chrysanthemums, Cai Yushou /Tiger Lilies and Rock, Zhang Qingzheng & Cai Yushou (double-sided fan)
Cai Yushou; Zhang Qingzheng
Description
This is a double-side pan, painted by a husband and wife. On one side, Cai Yushou, the husband, painted a cluster of colorful chrysanthemums; on the other, he joined his wife Zhang Qingcheng in painting tiger lilies and a rock.
For the Chinese, chrysanthemums invariably bring to mind the beloved poet Tao Yuanming (also known as Tao Qian, 365-427). Tao Yuanming had been a minor government official, but he retired early from state duties to return to his country estate and life as a simple farmer. In addition to ordinary staples like beans and rice, he grew chrysanthemums for their beauty and to flavor his favorite beverage, rice wine. To all those who know his verses, chrysanthemums evoke a wistful longing for a rural lifestyle.
Tiger lilies were an auspicious theme because the first character for one variant for their name xuan cao, looks like the first character of the phrase yi zi sun, "many sons and grandsons" -- a perennial concern for Chinese families.
Inscriptions on both paintings reveal that the fan was painted as a gift for Jiang Mengping (1877-1954), a well-known entrepreneur and art collector in Shanghai. The Museum of Art acquired this fan and several others from Jiang's daughter in 1980.
Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
Exhibited in "Flora and Fauna in Chinese Art," April 6, 2002 - December 1, 2002.
Physical Description:
A fan with depictions of chrysanthemums, tiger lilies, and rocks.
Usage Rights:
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